Tough call. While I absolutely adore Final Fantasy Tactics for it’s very mature political storyline and top-notch strategic gameplay, I have to give the nod to Final Fantasy III (USA). For me, it had the best cast of characters with unique, varied abilities, the espers and the quest for magicite, and Kefka, despite looking like a half mime, half pedophile clown in later versions, was one of the most badass villains of all time. I mean, the dude successfully ended the world, and in the last battle, transformed into a multi-story god. That game really had it all, and will forever be my favorite and most memorable FF game ever. I’d kill for a remake, and when I think about how amazing that game was, I shed a tear due to Square Enix’s mishandling of the franchise.

Final Fantasy XIII, it’s the best ever. Haha, I can’t even say that without laughing. For my real pick, it’s Final Fantasy Tactics. This is a game that to this day is still the standard for which SRPGs try to be. It introduced so many people, myself included, to an amazing genre.

While VII is a classic and one of the first games to really draw me in to gaming and the character development and deep stories that a game can have, I have to go with X. Final Fantasy X had a stellar cast of iconic characters, blended the classic fantasy with futuristic technology and had a great story that led me to tears upon conclusion. The gameplay is wonderful and while it is lacking the over world of previous entries, this minor complaint is overshadowed by the greatness that the rest of the game comes packaged with. I can’t wait to get my hands on the HD remaster and journey with Tidus (TEE-dus, check Kingdom Hearts and FFX creator interviews for proof) and the crew again.

Normally, I would have said that Final Fantasy 7 was my favorite of the franchise, but as the series has become synonymous with that particular sequel, I have grown a bit tired of the game. It is still very much among the best of the never final bunch, but I would have to say FF9, with Mystic Quest as a runner up, as my current favorites.

This won’t be super popular, but my favorite in the series is Final Fantasy XII International: Zodiac Job System. I already enjoyed FFXII, but International makes it even better, with every character falling into a traditional Final Fantasy job class. You’ve got to choose carefully, and part of the fun is sitting and choosing who will be what. That, new gambits, and a fast-forward button make it extremely fun to set up a rockin’ train set and watch it truck. Awesome. My wife and I actually recorded a podcast-type discussion about our individual favorites here. We talk in-depth about our first and our favorites in the series.

I’ll agree with Chandler on this one and say that Final Fantasy X is easily my favorite. I’ve played it multiple times already on the PS2, enjoying it more and more with each playthrough, and I can’t wait to get my hands on the Remaster (can’t decide between PS3 or PS Vita at this point though) later this year.